Twist of Fate: A Matter of Definition
by whoa nellie
Summary: PWP Chakotay and Ceshlyta have a difference of definition. Harry and Seven begin dating.


Originally posted: 8/15/02

Title: Twist of Fate: A Matter of Definition  
Author: Whoa Nellie  
Series: Voyager  
Rating: PG-13  
Codes: C/f, K/7  
Summary: PWP--Chakotay and Ceshlyta have a difference of definition. Harry and Seven begin dating.

Author's Notes: This story follows the events in Unforeseen Circumstances although it's not necessary to have read it or any of the previous stories except for more detailed background information on Ceshlyta and how she got there. Previous stories from the Twist of Fate storyline (in order): Blessings of the Sky Spirits, Wyrd, What Comes Naturally, Fresh Perspective, Culinary Delights, Chaos, and Unforeseen Circumstances.

This is an edited down version of the original. If you are 18 or older and would like to read the original version, it can be found at Whoa Nellie's Sci-Fi Romance Website. The link can be found on our author page.

As always Paramount owns all the marbles, we just have a lot more fun playing with them.  
Feedback is always appreciated.

A MATTER OF DEFINITION

"What?" Ceshlyta's hands froze in the process of braiding her hair, not sure if she'd heard her husband correctly. They had finished breakfast and were getting ready for their respective days. She was still a little sore and shaken from her experience on Techora, but she wanted to get back to work.

Chakotay repeated his request. "I want us to be married."

Rapidly finishing her braid, she fastened it and turned to face him; he was almost completely dressed in his uniform minus the jacket draped over a chair. Her reply was short and terse as he crossed their bedroom to where she stood. "We already are."

He picked up the long, dark braid hanging down the front of her jumpsuit, its weight in his hand belying the soft texture. His voice was soft and measured, "Not officially."

A hundred responses died on her lips. Turning away to hide the sparkle of tears in her eyes, she mumbled, "We can talk about it later, right now I need to get to the garden. I've got a week's worth of work to catch up on."

Before Chakotay could tell her about the crewmembers who had been tending to the garden in her absence, she was gone. They hadn't talked much last night, by the time she'd been released from Sickbay they were both feeling the effects of the sleeplessness and strain of the past week. He'd drifted off to a deep, restful sleep with Sassy snuggled up against him. He wanted to get an official entry of their marriage into the ship's log before anything else happened. Deciding that he would surprise her with a picnic lunch and try to broach the subject with her then, he slipped on his uniform jacket and headed for the bridge.

Thankfully Sassy didn't run into anyone on her way to the garden. The only thought on her mind was Chakotay's perception that they weren't really married. Her memories of the ceremony and their oaths were the most precious of all her memories. The certainty of her spirit that her aalm would come for her had kept her going for the past week. After everything, now she discovered that he didn't even think of them as husband and wife.

Lost in her emotional turmoil, she entered the garden and was startled at the change and the two crewmembers working at a computer panel.

"Professor," Mariah Henley looked up at the sound of the door. "We wanted to have this finished for you, but there were a couple of snags."

"What is it?" Sassy joined them.

Mariah gestured toward her cohort. "You remember Tabor?"

"Of course," Sassy smiled a greeting, not inclined to hold grudges against them for their part in her ordeal.

"Professor Ceshlyta," Tabor returned the greeting.

"Tabor helped me program some holoemitters to project a sky onto the ceiling," Mariah explained. "It's on the same schedule as the lights with a sunrise, sunset, clouds and everything. The night sky has a moon that goes from new to full on a monthly schedule and the constellations from the Terran solar system."

"You can program in any star system you want," Tabor jumped in. "Just download the data from astrometrics and any systems on file can be projected."

Sassy surveyed the rising sun against a perfect blue sky complete with a few white, fluffy clouds. "It's beautiful. It truly feels like a piece of nature."

"We added solar panels to each of the emitters, including the ones I'd already put in," Mariah offered. "The high frequency lights used in here can recharge their energy supply daily, which will eliminate any reliance on ship's resources for the holoprojections. We're working on a solar power system that would collect energy from the lights to use for other minor power needs around the ship. That would increase the garden's contribution to the ship in even more ways."

Even though it was just the heat lamps and lights from the garden's environmental systems, Sassy swore she could feel the warm rays of the sun caressing her face. "This is wonderful, thank you both so much. This must have been a lot of work."

"You're welcome, Professor Ceshlyta," Tabor grinned as he replied. "But we need to be going or we'll be late for duty."

"Please, call me Sassy," she called out after the two crewmembers.

Carrying a picnic basket, Chakotay stopped and gaped at the vista from the doorway to the garden. For a moment, he thought he was stepping on the holodeck. A bright sun, nearly at its zenith, shone out of a blue sky. Looking around, he found Sassy trimming shrubs. "Wow, it looks incredible in here."

"If you're referring to the sky, it was a very thoughtful, conciliatory gesture from Mariah and Tabor." She didn't even look at him, continuing her work. "They installed holoemitters and programmed in a sky that coincides with the lighting schedule; there's sunlight and moonlight, even stars and constellations. They put solar collectors on the emitters to recharge the power supply with the lights in here so they wouldn't tap into the ship's resources."

Chakotay set the basket on a bench and walked over to his wife. From the tension in her body and her clipped tone, he guessed that she was upset about something. His hands massaged her shoulders. "What's wrong?"

Spinning around, Sassy slipped the shears into her utility belt. "What's wrong? How can you stand there and blithely ask that?" Without giving him a chance to answer, she launched into the tirade that had been building all morning. "Who am I, Chakotay? What am I doing here? I've been pretty understanding of your dual nature. I gave you all the time and space you needed to reconcile your Indian spirit with your modern mind. I didn't put any expectations on you and I understand that it's always going to be difficult for you to hear and trust in your spirit alone. I'm not like that, Chakotay; as far as I was concerned, you have been my husband since I appeared in your quarters."

"Sweetheart--" he began.

"Don't," Sassy snapped. "Don't you dare use endearments with me." She looked down at the symbol on her palm. "When I look at these, I see my wedding rings and remember the most beautiful, special wedding ceremony I could ever have imagined." She grabbed his left hand and tuned the palm up. "What do you see in yours? What are these? Are they an anomaly, some unexplained aberration? Is that what I am? What do these markings mean to you?"

"Everything," Chakotay whispered. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he pulled her to him. "They mean everything to me." His lips brushed lightly across hers. "You mean everything to me." His hoarsely whispered admission was followed by his mouth seeking out the lush fullness of her lips. His tongue flicked against them, begging entrance. The instant her mouth opened, whether in protest or surrender, he deepened the kiss and pressed the soft curves of her lithe body tighter against him.

"That's not fair," she gasped when he finally let her up for air. "You can't kiss me like that when I'm angry with you."

"Why not?"

Her fingers traced her kiss-swollen lips. "Because I can't stay mad at you when you kiss me like that."

"Seems like a good reason for me to kiss you like that as often as possible," he murmured, dimples peeking out from his tanned cheeks.

Anger dissipated, she rested against the broad, muscular wall of his chest. Closing her eyes, she listened to the beat of his heart under her ear.

"What was that all about?"

"You don't feel married," she mumbled into his uniform jacket.

Chakotay tilted her face up to look at him. "That's not true. It's just that I realized while you were missing that, officially, if we couldn't find you or you were killed our marriage would never have existed. I just want an official ceremony with witnesses and an entry in the ship's log of our union."

"It means that much to you?" she asked quietly. When he wordlessly nodded yes, she sighed. "All right, but I don't want any ring other than the ones from our first ceremony."

"Agreed."

Sassy pointed a finger at him, the grin pulling at the corners of her mouth softening her words. "One more thing, you're already a married man so don't even think about a bachelor party."

"And here I was hoping for a wanton Inihasa maiden to dance naked for me," he said, lowering his face to hers for another long kiss.

"That can be arranged."

Harry put the last of the dinner dishes into the recycler with an almost audible sigh. His first date with Seven was going perfectly. If only no one called a red alert for the next two hours, everything would be great. After a great deal of consideration, he had decided on a quiet, candlelit dinner in his quarters as the setting for their first romantic date. Turning back toward the table where Seven sat, he extended his hand to her. "Would you care to join me on the couch?"

Seven nodded her acknowledgement. Unsure of appropriate attire, she had opted for her usual appearance. Wearing her biometric suit with her hair in its typical bun, she had experienced a mild relief when Harry answered his door wearing his duty uniform. She accepted his proffered hand and allowed him to lead her the short distance to the couch. Sitting comfortably beside him, their thighs a scant centimeter apart, she utilized some of the computer's suggested small talk for social situations. "I have told you about my day, but you have not yet shared your day's activities. Did you have a pleasant day?"

"Very," he smiled, "but it was also a very long day. I kept thinking about tonight and you, the day couldn't go fast enough for me."

"I, too, found myself anticipating this evening," she confessed.

Harry slid his arm behind her. He was getting more adept at releasing her hair from its confinement, in just a few seconds her blond tresses were flowing loosely around her shoulders. "Even Tuvok noticed that I was 'performing my duties more quickly and efficiently than usual'," the last part of the sentence was said with the raised eyebrow and clipped tone of the stoic Vulcan.

"Your manner of speaking altered . . . " Seven began quizzically. "Oh, you were performing an impersonation of Lieutenant Commander Tuvok. That was quite good."

"I'll have to show you my Neelix sometime," Harry whispered into her ear. His lips nuzzled the whorls of her ear, his tongue flicking at the small, creamy lobe. Shifting slightly, he bent his head to taste the swan-like column of her neck. Both of his hands wound through her hair and gently tilted her head to the side for easier access. Her skin was warm and soft to his tongue as it traced down the side of her throat from her ear to the top of her biometric suit.

Her heart rate significantly increased, she squirmed against the pleasant pressure building in her lower abdomen. The sensations were not as intense as they had been in Sickbay on that previous occasion, instead they were more reminiscent of her dream. A soft sigh escaped her lips as his tongue stroked the exact location of the carotid artery in her throat creating a most exquisite sensation throughout her body. Her hands reached for him.

"No," he quickly caught her hands, easily gripping them in one of his larger hands. "We're not going any further than this tonight; it wouldn't be appropriate for a first date."

Seven started to reply but found herself pulled toward Harry's muscled chest. He cradled her against the firm expanse still holding her wrists. It was a very satisfying position, his body was firm and warm with a pleasant musky aroma. His other hand cupped her head, his fingers combing through the silky hair. She made a mental note that Harry obviously preferred her hair down, it would undoubtedly please him for her to wear it that way on future dates. She stopped thinking entirely when he lowered his head, his lips crushing hers, his tongue coaxing her mouth to open for him.

His body was screaming for release by the time he broke the kiss and sat Seven back up. He could have her, he knew that. He could carry her to his bed, strip her clothes off and take her all night and in every way he wanted. She wouldn't resist and he knew she'd enjoy it, but the difference between her physical maturity and her emotional immaturity was part of the problem.

"Why--" she began, confused and frustrated.

"Seven," Harry ran a shaking hand through his hair. "If we want this to be a real relationship, then we have to take things slowly, a little bit at a time. A real relationship needs emotional stuff like trust and respect and if we do anything . . . physical too soon, then it'll just complicate everything. It's not that I don't want to, I just don't want to mess this up either."

"All right, Harry."

"Why don't I play with you--for you, my clarinet." Trying again, he enunciated each word clearly. "I could play my clarinet for you, if you would like."

Seven nodded her approval.

While he retrieved his instrument, he remembered something. "By the way, I know it's presumptuous to ask about a second date before the first one is over, but Commander Chakotay and Sassy are going to be having an official wedding ceremony in a couple of days. I know you don't enjoy socializing with the crew, but I was wondering if you'd care to attend with me as my date?"

Pleased that he would desire a second date, she smiled broadly. "I believe I would enjoy that, Harry."

"What do you think?"

Chakotay looked up from the PADD he'd been working on when Sassy called to him from the doorway of their bedroom. He was working on the duty roster so that he could take a couple of days off following the wedding for a brief honeymoon; Harry had agreed to see to the garden for Sassy for a couple of days as well.

Swirling the tea-length folds of the ivory silk dress she was wearing, she waited for his reaction. Since she'd agreed to this wedding ceremony for Chakotay, she needed to decide on what to wear. This was a more mainstream-traditional dress with soft, flowing lines. A panel cut out of the bodice gave a tantalizing glimpse of cleavage offset by the high neckline and elbow-length sleeves. It wasn't a traditional Indian wedding dress, but the thought of wearing her traditional attire seemed too much like trying to recreate the magic of their first wedding ceremony. This was a ceremony to satisfy the part of her husband that dwelt in the modern world, so more mainstream attire seemed appropriate for the occasion.

"Beautiful," he murmured, his eyes savoring the vision in front of him. The off-white color of the dress she wore highlighted her honey skin; her long, black hair flowing loose down her back. Putting the PADD down, he went to her. He cupped her face in his hands and gently tilted her mouth up to meet his lips in a brief, tender kiss. "The dress is nice, too."

"The dress," Sassy emphasized in bemusement, "is what I'm asking your opinion of."

Chakotay took her hand in his and gently twirled her before him. "It's beautiful, is it for any occasion in particular?"

"I've been trying to decide what to wear for the wedding ceremony. This is the one I like."

"Isn't there some old tradition that says you shouldn't see the bride in her wedding dress before the ceremony?" he asked, half-teasing.

Sassy turned away and walked back into the bedroom to remove the dress. "And, as I recall, you didn't see me in my wedding outfit before our wedding ceremony."

Confused, Chakotay followed her into the bedroom.

"Chakotay, I am trying to respect the fact that this is important to you, but I am your wife, not your bride-to-be. It's not that I mind doing this, I'm actually looking forward to the reception and honeymoon," she smiled suggestively at him as she emphasized the last word. Carefully laying the dress out on the bed, she turned to face him clad only in a lacy white bra and matching panties. "But you need to meet me halfway on this; it's hard for me to not take this ceremony as an insult to our original union."

"That's not--"

"I know it's not intended to be," she said, covering his lips with her fingertips to hush his protest. "But I'm certainly not going to feel as strongly about this upcoming ceremony or modern-world traditions as you do.

Chakotay kissed her fingers before removing them to speak. "If you feel that way, we can call this off."

"That's not what I'm asking," Sassy sighed in frustration.

"I just want a permanent, official record of the fact that you are my wife. Without witnesses to our first union, it's not a legally binding ceremony," he just wanted her to understand why it was important. "The traditions are just old customs that are associated with wedding ceremonies."

"I just want you to accept that my only concern for this ceremony is that it makes you happy. If tradition is important to you, then follow those traditions; but I can't pretend to be as excited about this as you are."

Gathering her hair in his hands, he dropped a light kiss on the tip of her nose. "I wouldn't ask you to, sweetheart. The only wedding tradition I'm asking you to follow is the part where you say 'I do.' That's the only one with any real importance."

"I don't want to ruin this wedding for you--"

"You aren't," he interrupted. "This is my ceremony, you've made that clear from the moment you agreed to it."

"I love you and I want to do this for you because it's important to you, but it's not fair of you to expect any more than that from me."

"You've been wonderful about it, the dress is perfect." Her skin was warm under his hands as he wrapped his arms around her waist, pressing her against him. "I love you."

She loved the way his firm, luscious lips felt when they claimed her mouth, crushing her own lips beneath them. His large hands were gentle against her skin, pressing her against the rough fabric of his uniform. It had been more than a week since they'd made love, the night before she'd been left stranded in the mountains of Techora. As much as she wanted to pull him down onto the bed with her, until his reservations about their marital status were satisfied it wouldn't feel right. Breaking the kiss, she traced his tattoo. "I thought you wanted to follow mainstream wedding customs."

"So?" Somehow that teasing lilt in her voice was ominous.

"Aren't you forgetting a very important wedding custom?"

This wasn't going to be good. "What's that?"

"It would be enormously improper for us to have sex before our wedding night," Sassy pointed out smugly. She pulled an oversized shirt and stretch pants from the dresser.

Bemused, he shot back, "We've already had sex, more than once I might add. It's not like either of us are blushing virgins protecting our chastity."

Dressed, she shrugged. "A tradition is a tradition. You can't pick and choose which ones you want to observe just because some are inconvenient."

"If this is a joke because of my earlier comment about seeing you in your dress, it's not funny."

Slipping her communicator on, she gave him a chaste kiss on the cheek. "This wedding is important to you, so we must observe the important traditions."

"What about your promise to dance naked for me?"

Leaving the bedroom, she replied, "That's what the honeymoon is for."

"Sassy, this isn't funny." Chakotay watched, stunned, as his wife sauntered out of their quarters.

"Maybe Kathryn will let me stay with her until the wedding," she mused aloud. Pausing, she had some parting bit of advice. "I do hope that no pesky red alerts keep you from getting to the ceremony on time."

Watching the door slide shut behind her so did he.

In her cargo bay, Seven made one final adjustment to her snug-fitting outfit just as the door slid open. "Harry?"

"Yeah," he replied. "I hope I'm punctual."

"Yes, you are. I am ready," she said, stepping out from behind her makeshift dressing area.

Harry choked at the sight of her. Seven's blond hair was loose across her bare shoulders. She was wearing a shimmery silver dress that looked as though it were made of the same biometric material as her usual outfit. This dress, however, was strapless and skin-tight down to her waist where it flowed out into soft folds of fabric that fell to her calf. Delicate gray shoes completed her ensemble. His eyes were trapped by the enticing view of full breasts threatening to spill out of her dress with each breath she took.

"I designed this myself in biometric material," she said after a full moment of dead silence. "Is it not appropriate attire for a wedding?"

"N-. . . ye- . . . it . . . uh . . . yo- . . . perfect," he sighed. "Wow."

Seven walked over to where Harry stood. "You are pleased, then?"

Gently drawing her closer, he combed his fingers through her silky blond tresses before capturing her lips in a tender kiss. "You are incredibly beautiful; I am very pleased to be your escort."

Still pressed against the solid warmth of Harry's body, she smiled. "And you look equally handsome in your uniform; I am pleased to be your date for this function."

Moving aside to allow her to precede him from the room, Harry whimpered quietly. "You sure know how to test a guy's resolve."

As promised there were no rings exchanged during the brief ceremony. Initially Chakotay had wanted to hold the wedding in the garden, but Sassy had vetoed that idea citing concern for the plants with that many people traipsing around 'her' garden at one time. So, he had programmed the holodeck with the botanical garden from Ball State University on Earth where Sassy had worked as a student while she pursued her bachelor's degree; a beautiful place, important to her but not to their traditions. They repeated their vows to one another in front of Captain Janeway and the assembled crew, minus those on duty. Sassy was in the flowing, ivory dress and, for some reason, it had felt right for him to wear a dress uniform for the occasion.

"So, by the power vested in me as captain of this vessel," Janeway pronounced. "I now officially proclaim you husband and wife. Commander, you may kiss your wife."

"Finally," he breathed softly. Sassy had kept him at arm's length for the past two days--much to Kathryn's amusement. He'd been permitted to have dinner with the two of them in the captain's quarters both nights, but their 'chaperone' had not even permitted him a good night kiss.

Smiling broadly, Sassy turned to face her handsome husband. These last two days had been excruciatingly frustrating, but worth it. From the glint in his desire-darkened eyes, their honeymoon here on Voyager would be almost as hot as their bonding after the wedding at the temple of the Sky Spirits. She handed her flowers to Kathryn as Chakotay's hands spanned her waist. Her palms rested lightly on his broad shoulders and she moved easily into the circle of his strong arms, her face tilting up toward his.

Relief flooded through him, she was officially, completely and permanently his. Their gazes locked for an instant before he lowered his head to hers, gently claiming the lush, full lips of his wife. Her mouth was soft and sweet under his, her body lithe and inviting in his arms. For a long, breathtaking moment everyone else on the holodeck was forgotten, everything fading away except for the woman he held.

"Ahem, Commander," after the bride and groom had kissed for more than a minute Janeway decided to get the reception underway. "Commander Chakotay, Professor Ceshlyta?"

Gradually becoming aware of the titters of amusement floating through the assembled guests, Chakotay pulled back, dropping a quick kiss on the end of her nose before relinquishing his hold on his wife.

"Before the party begins," B'Elanna announced over the scattered applause. "I'd like to present the happy couple with their wedding present. The entire crew pitched in for this--five uninterrupted days of holodeck time and replicator rations so that you don't have to see or talk to anybody but each other for the next five days. Your duty shifts and the garden chores are all covered and, barring alien invasion, you have the next five days to yourselves."

Tom threw in a comment of his own. "Of course, it wouldn't be very polite for the couple to take off for some romantic trysting too soon. At least stay and have some cake."

"All right, some cake," Chakotay laughed. He shot a wink at Sassy before adding, "Where's a fork?"

Harry chuckled along with the other crewmembers at the joking. As everyone began mingling, he looked at Seven. "Would you care for some refreshment?"

"Yes, something to drink would be satisfactory," Seven acknowledged.

"I'll be right back."

Seven surveyed the holodeck, the garden setting was quite scenic, flowers of vivid hue were brightly contrasting to the perfect green color of the grass. Many of the male crewmembers present were spending a disconcerting amount of time staring at her. Female crewmembers were also looking somewhat askance at her although the reason was not immediately obvious. She felt along the top of her strapless bodice to ascertain if her dress had shifted. Finding all was where it should be, she dismissed the stares as irrelevant. Perhaps it was gossip and conjecture among the crew about her presence at the function as Harry's date.

"Seven, you look exquisite," the Doctor gushed, sweeping up to capture her attention. "To what do we owe the pleasure of this appearance?"

"Thank you," she first made the appropriate acknowledgement of his praise. "The reason for the alteration of my appearance is a social outing with Ensign Kim."

"A date with Harry Kim?" the EMH exclaimed. "I wasn't aware of any interest in Mr. Kim on your part."

Seven was momentarily startled that she had neglected to inform her mentor of her decision to accept Ensign Kim's courtship. "Upon an analysis of our individual profiles, I calculated an 87.49 percent compatibility. That seemed sufficient to engage in the interpersonal social interaction which Harry requested."

"He asked you to be his date," the Doctor paraphrased.

"To be precise, this is our second date," she clarified.

"And?" he prompted.

Carefully formulating her response, she acknowledged, "I find Harry's companionship to be surprisingly enjoyable."

"How so?"

"Our interests provide a wide range of mutually enjoyable topics of conversation," she said. "For example, during our first date, he played a composition on his clarinet. The music was beautiful and it prompted an extensive discussion of mathematical properties of musical composition. In turn, that discussion led to an analysis of mathematical properties within non-scientific fields of endeavor. Harry has quite intriguing perspectives on mathematics in general. It was a fascinating conversation that lasted 3.18 hours."

"Some enchanted evening, indeed," the Doctor muttered.

Just then Harry returned with two glasses of punch. "Here you are, Seven, a little refreshment. Hi, Doc."

"Mr. Kim," the EMH returned the greeting.

Turning to Seven, Harry said, "They'll be throwing the bouquet soon. All single women try to catch it."

"I read of this tradition," Seven replied. "Catching it is supposed to connote some sort of good fortune."

Tom and B'Elanna wandered over to where Harry, Seven and the Doctor were standing. The entire room was buzzing with how Seven looked and whom she was with. Tom, at least, had an easy in to get more details.

"Actually," Tom corrected Seven's last remark. "It foretells the next woman to be married."

B'Elanna snorted. "That's just silly superstition."

Tom winked at her and teased, "Scared you'll catch it?"

"Hardly," she shot back. "Besides, I have to be going. I'm relieving Tuvok on the bridge so he can join the party for a while."

Harry looked around the group. "Any guesses on where the happy couple spends their honeymoon?"

"Earth," Tom volunteered. "I helped Chakotay with the program. It's an ancient Indian site on Earth; some earthen mounds in geometric shapes left behind by some of their ancestors millennia ago. They were ironically known as the Moundbuilders. I put an authentic Indian camp near one of these earthworks, complete with teepees and native tools, bearskins and deer hide clothes with moccasins. I now know as much about ancient Indian culture as I do twentieth century Earth."

"For the Commander and Sassy's sake, hopefully more," Harry teased.

Across the room, Janeway quietly toasted the happy couple. "Well, the first official wedding aboard Voyager is on the record books."

Sassy was surprised. "Really? After all of the time you've been here in the Delta Quadrant, I would have thought that others would have formed permanent relationships. There's certainly no shortage of intimate relationships going on."

"They have formed relationships," Chakotay said. "They just haven't formalized them."

Janeway looked around the room. "Perhaps this will serve as a motivation for others to follow suit."

"We should start looking at plans to remodel some crew quarters for families," Chakotay suggested.

Janeway arched an eyebrow, cocking her head inquisitively. "Is there something I should know?"

"No," Sassy rushed to assure her. "At least I hope that I'd know before Chakotay on that front."

Chakotay laughed briefly. "I just thought that if they knew we were prepared to make accommodations for couples and families, maybe more people would take that step."

"That's a good thought," Janeway agreed. "We'll discuss it more when you get back from your honeymoon."

Neelix bustled over. "All right, you two lovebirds. It's time to throw the bouquet and garter before you cut the cake."

In short order, all the single women at the reception were assembled and waiting. Samantha Wildman and a couple other crewmembers whose spouses were in the Alpha Quadrant declined to participate. Sassy turned her back to the group and gave her bouquet a toss. As everyone cheered and joked, Olandra Jor shot a coy smile across the room at Tabor, the bridal bouquet in her arms.

Then it was the men's turn. Chakotay made a production of going to one knee and fumbling under the skirt of Sassy's dress even poking his head under the fabric at one point. Finally he waved the garter in the air triumphantly. Flinging it over one shoulder, he quickly peeked to see where it landed. Showing impressive reflexes, Harry snatched the garter out of the air just before Tom's fingers closed on it.

"Congratulations, Harry," Seven said when he made his way back to her.

"Thanks, would you do me a favor?" he asked. "Hold this for me for a while."

"Of course," she held out her hand.

Harry smiled and shook his head. "That's not quite what I had in mind." He dropped to one knee and carefully slipped the garter over her foot. His hands caressed the silken length of leg as he drew the garter up to her thigh. Lingering a moment longer than necessary, he savored the warmth and noted with satisfaction the responding quiver of her leg muscles.

At long last alone with his wife in holodeck one, Chakotay stripped off his uniform jacket. The party continued in holodeck two and would probably be going on for a while. The privacy lock was engaged and, barring red alerts, they were alone for the next five days. Everything about the program was perfect; while Sassy was changing, he started a fire in the stone circle at the center of their holographic village. Softly at first but growing louder, drums began a rhythmic beating. Chakotay looked around for the source but saw no one.

"My husband," Sassy called out, standing at the entryway to their teepee.

When his eyes fell on her, he momentarily stopped breathing. She was naked--mostly. Long strands of leather were tied around her upper arms and thighs streaming down nearly five centimeters. Her black hair was loose, an ebony curtain down her back, and she had painted intricate, traditional designs on her face and body.

"You asked for a wanton, Inihasa maiden to dance naked for you?"

FINIS


End file.
